The drought caused at least 43 000 excess deaths last year, according to statistics released by the government this week. (Photo by Giles Clarke for The New York Times via Getty Images)
Somalia’s rainy season is between March and June. Or, rather, it used to be. If the rains don’t arrive this year — and the forecast is for more dry weather — it will be the sixth failed rainy season in a row.
The drought caused at least 43 000 excess deaths last year, according to statistics released by the government this week. Half of those who died are thought to have been children under five.
An estimated 1.4 million people have been forced from their homes by the extreme weather. That’s nearly 10% of the entire population.
On the outskirts of Dolow, a small town in the southwest of the country, Kaxareey camp hosts several thousand displaced people.
Among them is Mama Ainab, who fled from Baidoa last year with her two children, losing everything in the process: her home, her shop, her livelihood. And Hawa Siad, who travelled hundreds of kilometres in search of food and water for her family, lost a child along the way. She’s worried about her other children, who are not getting any education at the camp, and who need more food and water than the camp is able to provide.
“Life has been very difficult,” Siad said.
Humanitarian agencies say that Somalia needs $2.6 billion in emergency aid to cope with the effect of the prolonged drought, which has been linked to climate change.
“The people of Somalia are paying the price for a climate emergency they did very little to create,” said Salah Jama, the federal government’s deputy prime minister.
This article first appeared in The Continent, the pan-African weekly newspaper produced in partnership with the Mail & Guardian. It’s designed to be read and shared on WhatsApp. Download your free copy here.